Keneally wants housing debate

NSW Premier Kristina
Keneally
challenged Opposition Leader Barry O’
Farrell
to a debate on housing in western Sydney, saying his push for more development in the region will lead to congestion.

Mr O’Farrell wants to move to a 50:50 split between urban consolidation and greenfields development, while the government favours medium and high-density construction.

Ms Keneally said yesterday the Coalition’s plan would lead to urban sprawl on the city's western outskirts because 128,000 homes would need to be built on fresh sites. This was in stark contrast to the government’s 70:30 ratio for urban development, which favoured high and medium-density buildings in existing suburbs, she said.

“Given that Mr O’Farrell and I have such contrasting views on the growth of our city, I challenge him to a debate in western Sydney," she said in ­Camden, south-west of Sydney. “What he wants to do is very clear . . . that is, have urban sprawl across the Sydney region, to put more houses and more people in western Sydney at the same time that he is cutting a heavy rail line to the area."

The Coalition opposes a plan to build a rail link from Parramatta to Epping link in the city’s west.

The NSW election will be held on March 26. Ms Keneally is tipped to keep her seat but ministers Matt
Brown
and
Verity Firth
may lose theirs. A poll analysis by Sportingbet Australia revealed the NSW Labor Party will be left with less than 20 seats and ex-premier
Nathan Rees
may have trouble hanging on to his. The bookmaker has correctly picked every NSW and federal poll – and almost every seat – since it began offering odds on elections 10 years ago. Ms Keneally is unbackable to win her seat in Heffron, south Sydney, at $1.05. Mr Rees is at $1.85 to hold Toongabbie against $1.95 for the ­Liberals.